title: The role of topical vitamin A in promoting healing in surface refractive procedures: a prospective randomized controlled study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the effect of topical vitamin A supplementation on corneal re-epithelialization time, postoperative pain, visual acuity, and haze following photorefractive keratectomy (PRK).
  
  
  METHODS
  This prospective study included 32 patients. For each patient, one eye was randomized to the vitamin A group and the fellow eye to the non-vitamin A group (control group). Eyes in the vitamin A group received perioperative topical vitamin A (retinol palmitate, 250 IU/g VitAPOS eye ointment [AFT Pharmaceuticals Pty, Ltd, Sydney, NSW, Australia]) in addition to the classic treatment for PRK. Clinical outcomes were evaluated up to 3 months after PRK.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no difference in the mean time to complete healing between the vitamin A group and the control group (3.36 ± 0.6 days in the control group; 3.42 ± 0.7 days in the vitamin A group; P = 0.854). Mean postoperative pain at the 48-hour visit was 4.35 ± 1.42 over 10 in the control group, and 4.42 ± 1.37 over 10 in the vitamin A group, with no difference between the two groups (P = 0.589). Subepithelial haze evaluated at 3 months postoperatively did not differ between the two groups (P = 0.960). Also, visual and refractive outcomes were not different between the two groups 3 months postoperatively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Topical vitamin A supplementation did not affect re-epithelialization time, postoperative pain, corneal haze formation, or visual outcomes after PRK.
authors.affiliation: Saint Joseph University, Faculty of Medicine, Beirut, Lebanon.
authors.forename: Elias
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Chelala
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dirani
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fadlallah
authors.forename: Sharbel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fahd
keywords: corneal re-epithelialization; photorefractive keratectomy; topical vitamin A